The Arizona Cardinals have been a team in transition, rebuilding their foundation after the departure of franchise quarterback Kyler Murray’s extended injury absence and the coaching carousel that followed in previous seasons. Yet, as the 2025 NFL season approaches, there’s a new sense of optimism surrounding the team—and it’s not just about wins and losses on the field. It’s about fantasy football, where championship dreams are often won or lost by the strength of one or two breakout stars. And this year, the Cardinals might just have that golden duo: quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
Murray is no stranger to fantasy football dominance. At his best, he’s a dual-threat quarterback who can put up points in chunks both through the air and on the ground. His return late last season already gave fans a glimpse of the explosiveness that still lives in his legs and arm. Despite a limited number of games in 2024, he looked sharp and hungry, constantly creating plays even when the pocket collapsed. With a full offseason to get healthy and dialed into Drew Petzing’s offensive system, Murray enters the 2025 campaign primed for a bounce-back year.
But the true X-factor here—the player who could take both Murray and fantasy lineups to new heights—is rookie phenom Marvin Harrison Jr. The Cardinals used their high first-round pick to bring in arguably the most polished wide receiver prospect since Julio Jones. Harrison has the pedigree, the size, the route-running, and the hands to instantly become a WR1 not just in the NFL but in fantasy as well. During minicamp and OTAs, he’s already drawing praise for his work ethic, chemistry with Murray, and jaw-dropping plays that have social media buzzing.
Fantasy owners are taking notice. In early mock drafts, Harrison Jr. is sneaking into the top 15 receivers taken—an aggressive rank for a rookie, but perhaps not aggressive enough. There are whispers that he could see 140+ targets as Arizona’s unquestioned No. 1 option. And why not? The Cardinals’ wide receiver room, while featuring some veteran presences, doesn’t have another true alpha. Harrison walks into the season as the go-to weapon in a scheme designed to create mismatches and exploit defensive weaknesses.
When you combine a fully healthy and motivated Kyler Murray with a transcendent rookie like Harrison Jr., you don’t just have a fantasy-relevant combo—you have potential league-winners. This is the kind of pairing that can consistently give you 50+ points on any given Sunday. Murray’s mobility and deep-ball accuracy pair perfectly with Harrison’s ability to get open at all three levels. The Cardinals have quietly built an offense that can keep pace in high-scoring games, especially with improvements to their offensive line and a retooled running game that should prevent defenses from just sitting back in coverage.
Let’s also not forget that Arizona will likely be playing from behind in several games this season. While that may be a negative from a pure football standpoint, it’s music to the ears of fantasy managers. More passing plays, more opportunities, more garbage-time touchdowns. It all adds up. In a fantasy landscape where volume and opportunity often outweigh talent alone, this duo has all three.
Another major factor to consider is how other defenses will approach this duo. While some rookie receivers take time to adjust to NFL coverage schemes, Harrison is not your typical rookie. He’s had years of preparation under a Hall of Fame bloodline, and his football IQ has been lauded by scouts and coaches alike. He understands leverage, spacing, and timing like a veteran, and that’s what allows him to make an immediate impact. Defenses will struggle to double him without exposing themselves to Murray’s rushing threat, which creates a pick-your-poison scenario. Do you keep a spy on Murray and risk single coverage on Harrison? Or double Harrison and hope your defensive ends can contain Kyler outside the pocket?
The Cardinals coaching staff has also shown signs of creative play-calling, something that should boost the fantasy ceilings for both players. Expect a lot of designed rollouts, bootlegs, and RPOs that give Murray the option to use his legs or hit Harrison in stride. Those kinds of quick-decision, high-upside plays are exactly what can turn a mediocre fantasy outing into a 35-point explosion. It also shortens the learning curve for a rookie receiver, keeping the ball in his hands and allowing him to make plays after the catch.
Of course, the key to unlocking their full fantasy potential is health. If Murray stays upright and Harrison avoids the rookie wall, there’s almost no ceiling to what this duo could achieve. Even in redraft leagues where risk management is critical, these two are drawing early-round interest. In dynasty formats, managers are mortgaging future picks just to move up and secure them both, envisioning a long-term stack that could dominate for years.
There’s also something to be said for the intangible side of this equation. Kyler Murray has heard all the noise over the past couple years—that he’s regressed, that he’s too fragile, that he can’t lead a team deep into the postseason. Pairing him with a generational weapon like Harrison Jr. might be exactly the spark he needs to silence the critics and remind the league why he was once considered one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the game. That chip on the shoulder could be fuel for an elite fantasy season.
On Harrison’s end, he walks into the league with high expectations and a spotlight, but he seems more than capable of handling both. His poise, maturity, and relentless drive are already making an impression in Arizona’s locker room. He knows he was brought in to change the culture, to shift the dynamic of the franchise—and he’s embraced that role completely. From a fantasy perspective, that kind of confidence and accountability often translates into consistent production, week in and week out.
The beauty of the Kyler-Harrison connection is that their success will likely be tied together. If Murray is putting up 300-yard passing games, there’s a good chance Harrison is racking up 100+ receiving yards and a touchdown or two. That kind of correlation makes stacking them in fantasy lineups not just appealing but potentially game-breaking. For managers who land both on draft day, each Cardinals touchdown could be worth double the points—and that’s a luxury most teams won’t have.
It’s also worth noting that the NFC West isn’t the defensive juggernaut it once was. The Rams are rebuilding, the Seahawks are inconsistent, and even the 49ers have shown vulnerabilities in the secondary. There are plenty of matchups on Arizona’s schedule that project as high-scoring affairs, especially against teams with soft pass defenses. Smart fantasy managers are already circling those weeks and planning their DFS lineups accordingly.
So as the 2025 fantasy football season approaches, don’t sleep on Arizona. Yes, the team might still be a few pieces away from playoff contention in the real world, but in the world of fantasy football, that doesn’t matter. Opportunity, talent, and volume drive success—and the Cardinals’ star duo has all three in abundance.
Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. could be the pairing that flips your fantasy season on its head. While others chase safer, more predictable options, the brave managers who buy into the upside of this explosive tandem might just be rewarded with a championship trophy. In the end, fantasy football is about calculated risk—and there may be no better risk-reward play this year than hitching your team’s fate to the Cardinals’ rising stars.
So whether you’re drafting in a casual home league or battling it out in a high-stakes competition, don’t overlook what’s brewing in the desert. Because if Murray and Harrison hit their stride, they won’t just help Arizona turn the corner—they’ll help you hoist that fantasy title.
